


The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

by jagwriter78



Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Erotica, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Post-Season/Series 02, Pre-Season/Series 03, Promptober
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:15:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26174833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jagwriter78/pseuds/jagwriter78
Summary: It's just one of those regular nights during summer break. Popcorn, chips, and a movie.... What could possibly go wrong with that?
Relationships: Logan Echolls/Veronica Mars
Comments: 23
Kudos: 96
Collections: VM Fic Club Presents Promptober 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to chapter 1 of the fic that somehow ran off with me! It was never supposed to be anything long with an actual plot but the fic bunnies decided otherwise and a 4 paragraph intro suddenly turned into a whole chapter of its own. So enjoy, and there sure is more to come!

When he stepped into Java the Hut, he found the place bustling just as ever. The colorful lighting created what some people could call an absolutely hip atmosphere in a place that was decorated with an assorted collection of fancy furnishings, tending to the tastes of the young as well as the old. Teenagers loved the place for its grown-up ambience, allowing them to feel the seemingly easy-going vibe of adult life as they sipped on their coffees and devoured cookies, brownies and cake. Adults, on the other hand, he was told enjoyed the Hut for its laid-back, carefree atmosphere that allowed them a break from their otherwise stressful lives - even when it was as busy as it was tonight with not one empty table in sight.

He scanned the room quickly, eyes darting from the overly crowded counter to the jam-packed tables in the back, before they finally settled on his object of desire. A smile lit up his face when he saw her, carefully balancing a tray with one too many coffee cups as she scurried across the room, swerving around people, chairs and tables, oblivious to his presence. He leaned against the hostess station as he watched her move about, serve her customers with a welcoming smile, slip the empty tray under her arm, then turn on her heels to collect the next order waiting at the counter, ready to be served. 

She gracefully careened around a young couple who got up from their table without paying much attention to the people around them, a polite  _ sorry _ on her lips as she bumped into a chair at the next table in the process. She spun around towards the counter, and looking over her shoulder to quickly assess if anyone needed her attention, her eyes finally met his. She flashed him a smile, pulled the tray out from under her arm and silently placed it on the counter without picking up the orders that were lined up for delivery to their recipients. Instead, she crossed the distance towards the front, and met him at the podium.

“Table for one?” she asked sweetly.

“Actually," he started, bobbing his head at her, "I'm looking for someone."

"Oh?"

There was a hitch in her voice, and she shifted her feet, moving slightly to lean against the wall behind her.

"See, I got a text from this girl who apparently mistook me for her chauffeur. She said I was supposed to meet her here around eight. Sounded all sweet and that. So, the gentleman that I am, I thought, why not check it out? Maybe she's not just sweet but also, you know, kinda hot?”

“You mean that blonde who asked me if I knew a guy who could drive her so she didn’t have to take the bus back home?”

He leaned forward ever so slightly, and a flicker of amusement darted across his eyes.

“My driving services ain’t cheap, missy. You sure she can pay?”

“Depends. How much do you usually charge?”

She moved away from the wall and leaned against the podium next to him, their arms barely touching where they were placed on top. 

“The usual," he whistled, flicking his eyes upwards for just a second. "Two dinner dates.”

“Mmmh, I think that might be just outside her budget. I think she was offering a movie night. You still interested?”

“You know I can’t just drive anyone for less than my regular rate. It’s bad for the business if people find out. Ruins my reputation. And we can't have that, can we?"

She shrugged her shoulders at his cocky remark, and dipped her head to the side as she batted her lashes at him ever so sweetly.

“She may throw in some popcorn.”

“Double butter popcorn. And she also has to throw in some chips. Sour cream and onion.  _ Then _ I may be persuaded to drop my rate just for her. If she promises not to tell."

"You might be able to talk her into that if you put on that awesomely charming smile of yours."

"Suave is probably the word you were looking for," he corrected her, receiving a snort from her in response. "What’s playing?”

“I think she mentioned Bad Boys.”

“One or two?”

“Double feature.”

“Mmmh, that’s much to my liking. So where can I find this girl I’m hooking up with for tonight?” 

He twisted to the right, letting his gaze wander across the room, pretending to look for that mysterious girl he was supposed to be picking up. When he turned his attention back, he almost bumped into her, as she'd shifted, leaning towards him ever slightly, and making an effort to point at the back of the cafe.

“You can find her over there at the counter in ten ready to leave.”

Then, with a naughty grin, she turned to get back to her waiting duties. He watched after her, subconsciously running his thumb over his lips which didn't go unnoticed by the group of boys who'd walked into the Hut after him, and were patiently waiting in line, ready to be seated.

"Dude, I think  _ she _ got the hots for you," he noticed an unfamiliar voice behind him. "If I were you, I'd drop the other one whoever she is. That one's definitely a looker."

He spun around and eyed a group of teenage boys of about fifteen to sixteen, each wearing a shirt that read  _ Summer Merit Badge Extravaganza.  _

"Do a good turn daily," he quipped, and flashed them a toothy grin. "Maybe the honorable Boy Scouts of America should take care of this young, sweet girl so desperate in need for transportation rather than the strange, sketchy guy the hostess of an establishment like this set her up with. I may just settle for the before-mentioned hostess instead who, on second thought, is really quite the eye candy.”

He stepped aside and made room at the podium so one of the other waitresses on shift could tend to the teenagers. She picked up a few menus, but instead of turning to the boys, she turned to him with a questioning look. 

“How often have we told you - if you want to pick up girls, Java the Hut ain’t quite the right place for that. There’s plenty of questionable establishments for that on the other side of town,” she told him, trying to hide the amusement that played in her voice.

“Me? Coming here to pick up girls? When did I ever do such a thing?” he replied and placed his hand against his chest, giving her the best impression of mock outrage he could muster. 

“Hm, yesterday? The day before? Pretty much almost every day for the last few weeks?”

“I think you definitely must have confused me with someone else. I never come here to pick up just any girls," he snickered, "I’ll just seat myself over there at the counter.”

Grinning to no one in particular than himself, he sauntered over to the counter and sat at one of the empty chairs. He swiveled around and placed both his elbows on the wooden frame behind him while he observed customers and staff bustling around like busy bees. His eyes followed the short blonde around, watched her clear a couple tables, then return to the staff area to pick up her orders. 

"You know," he said, leaning backwards onto the counter, his head tipped back and turned sideways, "I'm beginning to think the staff here don't like me much."

"Really?" she drawled and started to pour coffee into the empty mugs lined up in front of her. "I guess your reputation precedes you."

"So the first waitress didn't even bother to show me to a table. I had to seat myself all on my own. The second waitress then accused me of coming here just to pick up girls. Don't you think that's a bit preposterous?"

"I have to give it to Mandy though, you always do leave with a girl when you come in here."

He spun around, fixing her with his stare.

"Is it my fault that I'm such a handsome fellow that the girls just go crazy when they're around me?"

She snorted and just shook her head at him.

"I just come here for the coffee really."

He noticed her raise her eyebrows, looking at him rather incredulously, before she went on with her business.

"Really. Java the Hut. Best coffee in town."

"Be a little bit more persuasive and you might convince me you actually  _ are _ coming in just for the coffee."

"You wanna know a secret?" 

He pushed himself up on his elbows and leaned across the counter. 

"There's this girl," he spoke softly, trying to keep his voice down, so no one besides his intended could hear what he had to say.

She finished with her order, pushed the tray just a bit to the side, then also leaned on the counter, closing the distance between them.

"So it is about a girl," she tempted him, obviously wanting to be let in on the secret.

"It's always about a girl. She's sassy, incredibly smart, super cute and she's here almost every day."

There was a light shade of red flushing her cheeks, and not wanting him to catch up on that, she turned her attention back to those coffees that sat on the tray next to her, waiting to be brought out the waiting customers.

"It's Mandy, isn't it?" she asked and picked up the tray from the counter, carefully balancing it in her hands.

"Is it that obvious?"

"You'll be in for a big letdown, hotshot, cause she's not really into boys."

"No!" He rolled his eyes upwards, trying to give her his best expression of disappointment and shock. "You just broke my fragile heart."

She shrugged her shoulders, and walked off, rounding the corner and heading towards a table in the small nook along the wall that separated the small entrance area from the rest of the Hut. 

Not a minute later, she was back, stopping in front of the counter. She placed the now empty tray on the top next to where he was sitting and leaned against the wooden frame.

"You're still here."

"That I am. I'm still patiently waiting for that girl who texted me about a ride." He lifted a hand and lazily trailed a finger down her upper arm. "The ten minutes are up. You seen her around somewhere?"

"Nope. But why don't I go check if maybe she stood you up?"

"Yeah, why don't you go check on that. I'll be waiting right here."

With an amused chuckle, she walked behind the counter and retrieved her bag from its hiding place under a box of napkins. She swung it over her shoulder and glanced up, finding him impatiently tapping his fingers against the glass display that held the evening's selection of first-class cakes.

"So?"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news."

"Twice in one night I'm having my heart broken. The agony."

"Maybe I can make up for it?"

"I'm listening."

She waggled a finger at him, gesturing for him to follow her. Licking his lips in anticipation, he rose from his chair, his gaze following her along the long counter, around the corner, towards the cake display. His eyes fixed on her as she spoke to Mandy, telling she was off for the night. That was when he noticed the teenagers seated at one of the bigger tables in the middle. Not quite in earshot to catch the conversation he'd just had with that sassy blonde tending tonight, but seated in a perfect position to observe their enchanting innuendo.

Three of the group gave him a thumbs up and winked at him as they walked past the table while one showed him the sign of the horns, thrusting his hand upwards a couple times, obviously thinking the hand gesture he made had a completely different meaning. 

"Who are your new friends?" she asked, turning her head back over her shoulder to glance at him trail behind her as they made their way towards the exit.

"Shhhh," he picked up the pace, and was at her side with two fast strides, "they’ll be pretty disappointed once they figure out I took off with the hot blonde and them waiting for the sweet imaginary girl needing a ride is practically in vain.”

She laughed as she climbed the stairs towards the small vestibule at the entrance. The door dinged as it swung open, and a couple of girls marched in, giggling hysterically and not paying much attention to their surroundings. He grabbed her hand and pulled her backwards before she could collide with the incoming party. In one swift motion, he spun her around and pinned her against the wall, trapping her with his body as he lowered his head to hers and claimed her lips in a short, but vigorous kiss. 

“Hi," he muttered, a wide smile spreading across his face.

“Hi," she replied, her response laced with a light chuckle.

"We gotta stop meeting like this."

"What, like this?"

She lifted her head slightly, placed a gentle kiss at the corner of his mouth, then leaned back against the wall, appreciating the view in front of her.

"One of these days, Mandy might just exercise house rules and ask me not to come back because honestly, I lied. I'm not coming here for the coffee."

"Fess up. It's the chocolate cake."

"No." He brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and gently tucked it behind her ear. "It's the cute blonde I get to pick up almost every day."

She giggled and placing her hand against his chest, patted it gently.

"Three more weeks tending at Java the Hut. I'm taking my chances."

She kissed him again, then slipped her hand in his, gave him a gentle squeeze, and tugged him towards the door.

"We gotta make a stop at the grocery store on the way."

"Mmmh?" 

He came up behind her and slipped his arm around her waist to guide her across the parking lot to where he had parked his car.

"Someone - I'm not naming names here - specifically requested double butter popcorn and sour cream and onion chips. My pantry isn't stocked well enough for such a fancy taste."

"I have room service and a concierge at my beck and call."

"And I'm the queen of the castle tonight. Dad's out chasing a bail jumper. He shouldn't be back until tomorrow night at least. So humor me."

"Always at your service, my queen."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Aurora2020 and VMarsTrek for the beta on this one!

"DVDs are in that bin under the stereo," Veronica said as they stepped into the apartment. She dropped the grocery bag on the counter, then reached inside to pull out the box of Logan's requested double butter microwave popcorn.

Logan sat on the couch and dug into the contents immediately, flipping through the neatly organized DVDs, the _clack_ _clack clack_ of the cases a steady rhythm as he sifted through the stack. There was a light, amused chuckle coming from the kitchen area as she shut the microwave door and hit the button for the popcorn.

"Someone’s got quite an exceptional taste," he whistled, "there are three, four, five, six, seven Humphrey Bogart movies in this box."

"Dad adores him,” she answered him without even looking at him, instead reaching for a bowl on the shelf above her head. “If I’d been a boy, he probably would’ve petitioned my mother to call me Bogart."

"Have you watched any of these?"

"Have you?"

"You don't answer a question with a question."

"And you know better than to ask a question you already know the answer to."

She gave him a wickedly sweet smile, her eyes shining with silent amusement as she ripped open a bag of chips and dumped them into the bowl.

"I may have been raised in a house full of Hollywood actors but movie nights happened only if the movie in question was seen as direct competition by my parents and thus a threat to either their careers and their bank accounts. Otherwise, a movie was hardly worth any screen time at the Echolls household. You have to keep up with your enemies, not your predecessors.”

"I take that as a ‘no’ then?"

"My aunt made Trina and me watch  _ Gone with the Wind _ once. Does that count?"

She bobbed her eyebrows at him, looking at him incredulously. Picking up the chips, she crossed the short distance to the couch while contently listening to the  _ pop pop pop _ from the microwave and placed the bowl on the coffee table.

"Tonight's lineup has just changed."

Choosing two DVD’s from the bin, Veronica held up the movies in her hand while mimicking a telemarketer's gestures and said, "Cinema One's feature of the night is  _ Casablanca _ . While Cinema Two is playing another all-time classic tonight,  _ The Maltese Falcon. _ Call 1-800-555-MARS now for tonight’s unprecedented offer."

He laughed, amused by her awkward attempts to sound like the host of QVC's 11 o'clock product of the night show.

"Can I get points on my MovieWatcher card for any of those showings?"

"No, but Theater Mars is offering free snacks and sodas."

"You mean those drinks and snacks I paid for earlier with my credit card?"

"Chivalry's dead apparently."

Waving the two DVD cases she held in her hands in front of his face, she brought his attention back to the matter at hand.

"Cinema One,  _ Casablanca _ , the story of Rick Blaine who runs a nightclub in Morocco and is faced with the struggle to decide whether or not he should help his former girlfriend and her fugitive husband escape the country during World War II. Cinema Two,  _ The Maltese Falcon _ , a movie about a private detective who takes on a case that involves three eccentric criminals, a pathological liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette. The deal is expiring in ninety seconds. This is your last chance."

"Well, seeing as I have my very own private detective at my every day's disposal, I think I might just forgo the crime and investigation programming for tonight and be all girly and dive into the romantic love story of this Rick guy and his ex-girlfriend."

"Louis, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," she mused, her lips curled into a lopsided smile and handed the DVD to him. "Put it into the player and I'll get the popcorn."

"Grab me a Pepsi as well?"

A short while later, Logan was comfortably reclined on the sofa, feet propped up on the wooden trunk. Veronica's head was resting in his lap while she lay stretched out on her back next to him. His hands took alternating turns between either dipping into the bag of popcorn or into the bowl of chips that she balanced with her hands on her chest and absentmindedly twisting strands of her hair around his fingers and tenderly stroking her head. Occasionally, she raised her hand in the air, wriggling her fingers at him. Each time, he silently held the bag of popcorn over her head, and she blindly dug into it, emerging with a handful only a second later proceeding to pop one flake into her mouth after another. 

He had stopped paying attention to what really was happening on the screen the moment she had started reciting almost every single line of the movie, imitating both the tone and accent of whoever the current object of her mimicking was. The first time he’d encountered her doing that years ago, he had found it more than just irritating - both for the fact that she knew most of the lines of the movie they were watching and that by her doing that drew much of his attention away from the screen and onto her. He still didn’t know how the movie ended that night, possibly also because about halfway through the movie Lilly had joined Veronica in what immediately had turned into a game of who could spit out the next quote the fastest. He had to admit though that listening to the Veronica Mars riff version of any movie was usually much more entertaining than anything that could possibly be happening on TV, especially when he found the movie to be as dull as  _ Casablanca _ .

As the movie neared its end, he noticed Veronica had grown uncharacteristically quiet after Rick’s goodbye to Ilsa and could even sense she was a little emotional as her finger traced little squiggles on his thigh. When the credits finally started to roll, Veronica immediately snapped out of it and reached for the remote to turn off the player. She grabbed the popcorn bag, scooped up the last few flakes, and popped them into her mouth.

"So, what do you think," she asked as she kneeled down on the couch, facing him, "round two?  _ The Maltese Falcon _ ?"

He studied her for a moment, trying to think about a response that would actually get him out of an encore viewing of anything Humphrey Bogart. The guy might be a Hollywood legend, but he honestly had never seen anything so cheesy in his life. It was, by far, topping the agonizing four hours of  _ Gone with the Wind _ . That one at least had fighting, war, bloodshed, murder and deceit. He placed his elbow on the back of the couch, resting his head against his hand as he contemplated his next move. How was he gonna get out of this without actually hurting her feelings?

"Truth?"

"You didn't like it."

"I very much liked the Veronica Mars rendition of the movie."

"How can you not like Bogart?" she inquired, faking just a tad bit too much outrage as she bobbed her eyebrows at him.

"Maybe if you hadn’t picked a chick flick?"

"It's not a chick flick. If it was, Rick would've been on that plane with Ilsa instead of Victor. Besides, I didn't pick the movie. You did."

"Did I pick the evil or the lesser evil?"

"C’mon, it's really not that bad a movie."

"It's got a few great pick-up lines, I give you that."

She grinned and placed her elbow on the back of the couch as well, mirroring his position as she scooted just a tad bit closer to him.

"So you did pay attention."

"To your rendition, yes, I did."

“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, you walked into mine tonight,” she said huskily and hooked a finger into the neck opening of his shirt, gently pulling at it. 

"Here's looking at you, kid," came his reply, in an equally husky tone, almost a whisper, as he slowly lowered his head towards her.

Her lips curled into a naughty grin as she pulled her finger away from his shirt, instead placing two fingertips against his upper lip. 

"I heard a story once," she murmured and trailed her fingers gently across his lips, down his chin and over his throat until she found his shirt again, hooking them inside just as she'd done a moment earlier. "As a matter of fact, I’ve heard a lot of stories in my time. They began with the sound of a tinny piano playing in a parlor downstairs."

"Play it once, Sam. For old time’s sake."

His reply was instant, the tone of his voice soft and tender. Lifting a hand, he brushed a strand of her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. He cupped her cheek, turning her head just a fraction so he could admire the way her eyes shone at him in the dim light. Pools of blue, flickering with a certain mischief, almost naughty even, combined with a bit of child-like innocence she somehow still had managed to hold onto. And in that mix, he also noticed that certain shimmer of love that she kept hidden most of the time, only allowing him to see it when she felt utterly and completely safe and comfortable with him. 

She responded in almost the same fashion, trailing a finger carefully over his cheekbone, before she placed her palm against his cheek, her thumb brushing over that tiny dimple at the corner of his mouth. 

"Kiss me. Kiss me as if it was the last time."

He blinked at her, unsure what she was expecting from him. To throw another quote from the movie at her or actually lean in and do just that - kiss her. He granted himself a mere second, trying to think of another Casablanca classic line, but when his mind came up blank, he decided he was just gonna take it for face value. 

He brought her head closer to his, and meeting her halfway, captured her lips in a tender kiss. She tasted of butter and salt, of chips and Sunkist, mixed with just a hint of cherry-flavored lip gloss. He savored the exquisite taste that was so unmistakably her as he glided his tongue over her lips, then slipped in, encouraging a slow and gentle dance of tongues. A soft moan escaped her, telling him that he had her complete approval for a slow-paced start to whatever the night would bring.

When he finally pulled back, he noticed her eyes were closed, and she was swiping her tongue over her lips in a tantalizing slow motion before meeting his waiting gaze.

"Extra butter makes all the difference," he chuckled, receiving a grin from her in reply.

"Most definitely an excellent taste."

"I know something else that tastes rather delicious."

He nuzzled his nose against the side of her neck before his mouth captured her skin, his lips lazily brushing against her. He found that certain spot behind her ear just as he felt her fingers tangle in his hair, first guiding him, then just holding him as she moaned humbly at his caressing, nibbling, lapping.

Slowly, he lowered her onto the sofa, until she lay stretched out under him. Legs tangled to steady them on the narrow couch, he continued his ministrations, trailing kisses along her neck, over her jawline, until he found her lips again, capturing them once more.

"Do you know what's so special about button-up shirts?" he asked, a hint of amusement as his hand found the top button of her shirt and opened it skillfully. "It's like you're opening that long-awaited present you've been longing for so long. You're imagining what lies beneath the surface as you look at it, sitting wrapped so elaborately just within reach. Then you receive permission to unwrap it, and you have to stop yourself from just ripping off the paper, instead taking a moment to appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into creating the perfect gift. And then ultimately, you reveal the one thing you've spent so many nights only dreaming about and finding it even more exhilarating than you'd ever imagined."

He lazily brushed the back of his hand over her delicate skin as he moved to pop the second button.

"I never knew you could be so poetic."

"Straight A's in English since Mrs. Dunberry Freshman year." 

His eyes fell on something slightly colored as he parted the material, revealing a sliver of lace trimming on the outside of her bra.

"Definitely a lot more exciting than I imagined," he breathed and quickly went for buttons three and four in one go. The shirt fell into a wide V opening, exposing a pale mint satin bra. He stilled and skimmed his eyes over her body, decided that he didn't just want to look, but also feel. A finger traced the outside of her bra, slowly slipping down the slope of her breast. Her breath hitched when his lips found her skin, and tender butterfly kisses followed the path his finger had travelled only a moment before. Her fingers dug into his back when his teeth grazed gingerly over the sensitive spot between her breasts, tongue teasing, warm lips caressing. Taking his time, cherishing every inch she was offering, always aware of her hands roaming his body and her fingers responding greedily to his ministrations. 

He inhaled sharply when her hands slipped under his shirt. Fingernails scraped across his back, leaving a tingling sensation in their wake. The remaining buttons of her shirt followed as he skimmed his palms over her abdomen. His teeth pulled at the edge of her bra playfully, and a throaty chuckle escaped him when her fingers clawed into his flesh in response, arching her body towards him.

Reluctantly, he pulled back, reaching over his shoulder to swiftly pull his shirt off and toss it aside. His attention solely rested on her rather awkwardly wiggling out of her shirt. Helping her, sliding his hands around her body, he pulled her up so that she was straddling his lap. Their eyes met for a brief moment, before he gently pushed the offending garment off her shoulders, exposing her body to his view. He trailed his hands down her arms to her sides gently skimming up and down her hips and thighs. 

"You're so incredibly beautiful..."

A little embarrassed, almost shy even, she buried her face against his chest so he wouldn’t see the dark shade of pink slowly flushing her cheeks. Her hands snaked around his waist and up, stopping right below his shoulder blades while she just held onto him. With a sigh, she leaned back a moment later, her hands gently slipping around his midsection, trailing up his chest, her fingers tracing small squiggles along the way, until her palms found a resting place against his shoulders.

"Mmm, you're not so bad yourself," she mumbled, then lowered her head, her lips brushing gently against the skin above his collarbone. Starting at his upper chest, she explored him with her palms, lazily travelling south until she reached the elastic of his boxers that was peeking out of his pants, her caresses awakening every inch of his skin in the most delicious way. God, he loved it when she touched him.

Lifting a hand into her hair, fingers threading through her locks, guiding her as her mouth trailed up his neck. Her lips soft, the wet warmth of her tongue gliding over every inch of bare skin, she found his mouth again, claiming it in a hot, searing kiss. A deep groan left his lips as he felt her hands on his hips, her thumbs hooking into the waistband of his boxers, gingerly stroking the defined V-shaped muscles disappearing beneath the denim. Her fingers traveled upwards, lingering just beneath his abs, thumbs softly caressing, then traced the same path down and up again, his body vibrating with the sensations she was eliciting.

An involuntary twitch surged through him when she found that certain spot on his hip bone. Breaking their kiss, he eased her head back ever so slightly. A wicked smile lit up her face as she continued her ministrations, pressing her thumbs harder against his flesh, stroking earnestly. He let his head fall back against the couch inhaling sharply when her mouth claimed the skin on his throat, applying small butterfly kisses, one after the other, slowly moving downwards.

"Too much clothing," she puffed and pulled her fingers out of his pants. She fidgeted with the top button of his jeans, fingers nimbly working to pop it through the hole. Silently, he placed his hands on top of hers, stilling her movements. Her head snapped up rather frustratedly, looking at him disapprovingly.

"Let me do it," he offered as he popped the button, then quickly pulled down the zipper. If he allowed her hands anywhere near his groin, his involuntary response would be more than visible. They weren't quite there yet though. He wanted, needed, tender and slow just for a little while longer without the inevitable quest for release that would follow as soon as his body snapped to attention, unavoidingly ringing in the beginning of the end of their night together.

She climbed off him, giving him the space he needed to shed the remaining clothing. He stepped out of his pants and threw them onto the loveseat, joining her jeans. With hands on his shoulders, she pushed him back down onto the sofa, and climbed back into his lap, bracing his thighs with her knees. Her arms snuck around his neck, fingers threading through the short hair at the base of his skull, gently grazing and caressing his skin as she kissed him, encouraging another duel of tongues.

His large hands massaged her firm buttocks, rocking her gently against him, while she matched the slow, steady rhythm he encouraged almost instantly. Sighing as he parted from their kiss, her disapproval obvious, his mouth found her again, lips grazing along her jawline, traveling south, ever so slowly, down her neck until he reached her shoulders. Teeth pulled at the strap of her bra playfully and he expertly released the clasp and slid the bra off her completely in one motion. His hands trailed up her ribcage resting right under her breasts. Thumbs teasingly brushed against her, tracing the round slopes, before his lips brushed over her right breast, treating the sensitive skin around her nipple to one gentle kiss after another. A long, sensual moan escaped her, eyes fluttering shut, and it was all the encouragement he needed to claim her with his mouth completely. He suckled her, his tongue drawing ample circles around her taut, hard nipple while teeth gently nibbled, his lips caressing affectionately.

She tasted like roses and lemons, cocoa and ice cream, sweet, tangy, warm, a taste he never grew tired of. Ignoring the rising heat in his groin as she rolled her hips against him, he focused his undivided attention on her other breast, diligently swirling his tongue over her skin, devouring her hungrily. He could feel her chest rise steadily, the even cadence quickening by the minute, her breathing becoming labored. Her hands dropped to his side, her fingernails grazing over his abs, first up, then back down, repeating the same pattern over and over again. 

"We really gotta take this somewhere more comfortable." 

He answered her with a silent nod and in one swift motion stood, carrying Veronica still wrapped around him towards the back of the apartment. Stepping into her almost dark bedroom a moment later, dim light shining through the half-opened window panes, bathing the room in a soothingly colorful shine, Logan kicked the door with his foot, slamming it shut with a loud  _ thud _ . He sat back on Veronica’s bed, she still straddling his lap as his mouth descended on hers again in a rousing kiss.

She skimmed her fingers up over the cotton material of his boxers until she reached the waistband. Never breaking the kiss, she trailed her fingers along the elastic, then dipped further south. A long, low-pitched groan caught in his throat when he felt her fingertips graze along the length of his shaft languidly, down and up, teasing him, fondling him through his underwear. 

His head tipped back, eyelids closing as he relished in the sensations she was creating as her fingers caressed him intimately. Dropping his hands to her lower back, they slipped beneath the fabric of her panties and he splayed his fingers widely across her cheeks. She was firm under his touch, smooth, warm, and he started to knead her buttocks while trying to keep his breathing leveled and shallow. His body’s response to her was more than evident, blood pulsing through his veins as he grew harder under her delicate strokes. 

Her lips trailed slowly over his neck, down the slope to his shoulders, until they found that slightly elevated area on his collarbone. Teeth nibbled his skin, carefully at first, but growing bolder, almost impatiently, as he started to roll his hips into her touch, hungrily demanding more than just her gentle caresses. Decisively, she tugged at his boxers, freeing him quickly as her hand curled around him tightly, sliding up and down in a tantalizing gentle motion. He gasped at the sensation of her warm touch around him, as his hands moved down over the round curves of her butt, her grasp on him never relaxing. 

A muffled groan echoed as his hand slipped between their bodies and into her panties. Fingers brushed over her folds teasingly, finding her incredibly slick and hot. His palm pressed against her core, rocking back and forth, while one finger dipped into her just an inch, only to pull back out again a second later. In and out. In and out. Matching the incredibly slow rhythm that her hand worked on him. Up and down. Up and down.

Increasing the rhythm slightly, a second finger joined in as he grew more impatient, stroking just the right spots at exactly the right time. In and out turned into twist and turn, left and right, out and back in. Until suddenly it was only all-in, fingertips tightly pressed against her inner walls with his thumb slowly flicking over her bud. Her grip around him tightened as her hand continued its journey, teeth biting down hard on his shoulder, and he yelped at all the different sensations she encouraged in him simultaneously. 

She pressed on, hand still moving up and down along his shaft, while desperately trying to fight giving in to the incredible high he had accelerated her to. He was twitching under her touch uncontrollably, his breathing growing ragged, his body throbbing with need, and both their control and restraint teetered on the verge of snapping. They had to step back for a moment, or they both weren't going to last long.

"Veronica..." he groaned her name as he removed his hand from her body, and threading his fingers through her hair, drew her up against his body and slanted his mouth across hers as one kiss inevitably melted into another.

He rose and with hands firmly placed on her hips, planted her on the ground. The brief separation gave them the reprieve they needed to shed the remaining clothing and to continue slowly - at least until he saw her lying back against the stack of pillows, watching him through lashes that had fallen to half-mast. She looked so incredibly inviting that he had a difficult time keeping his breath steady. Her lips were pink and swollen, her hair tousled around her face. God, she was sexy! A primitive hunger shot straight to his groin and he finally gave in to the need raging within him. Hooking his hands beneath her knees, he dragged her down to where he kneeled on the bed so she lay flat on the mattress and her spread thighs draped over his, his erection teasing her mound.

At that moment, he looked into her eyes, and the acceptance he saw arrested him, made his heartbeat quicken and his chest fill with a multitude of emotions that humbled him, making him wonder, for a split second, why, after everything that had happened between them during the last year, she was still willing to be his.

The fleeting thought receded as she whispered invitingly, "Condoms are in the jewelry box up on the shelf."

He grabbed a condom, quickly ripped open the wrapper, and proceeded to roll it on. Settling his body over hers until they were face-to-face, perfectly aligned, guiding himself into her, and filling her with one agonizingly slow thrust. She gasped and he groaned at the sweet, tight clenching of her body. It felt so good.

She was incredibly snug and the erotic rush of it nearly had him unraveling. With effort, their labored breaths mingling, he expertly withdrew and pushed back into her slowly, feeling her soften around him, beneath him. As she adjusted to the fit of him, her expression turned rapturous. He savored the languorous drift of her hands down his spine, the instinctive way she lifted her hips and wrapped her legs around the back of his thighs to allow him deeper inside.

Burying himself deeply in one long, smooth stroke, he stilled over her, his pulse racing erratically. His fingers tangled into the hair at the side of her face, making sure that he had her complete and total attention. She gazed up at him, a sultry smile on her lips, her eyes hazy with passion.

"I love you," he whispered, his voice unmistakably clear.

He felt her tense, saw the panic that momentarily flashed across her face, but wasn't surprised at her reaction. He didn't expect her to return the declaration, at least not in words. She never voiced it out loud, but her giving herself fully to him was the only answer he needed.

With a gentleness that belied his body's need for release, he lowered his head and kissed her, and she responded with a greed and urgency that shot his plan for tenderness to hell. Desperation washed over her, made her as wild and impetuous as a summer storm, and all he could do was match the increasing rhythm she demanded as she feverishly bucked her hips against him. He could feel she wanted to be in control, increasing their pace, rushing them to the crest. And he was going to give her what she wanted.

"Flip," he groaned deeply as he slipped his hands beneath her shoulders, gently lifting her off the mattress in an attempt to switch positions, pull her on top and grant her control over him.

"Logan, no!" she screeched as he leaned to his left, and he immediately understood her warning when he realized he was tumbling over the edge of the bed. Too late to stop himself from falling, he tightened his grip on her body, his arms enveloping her in a protective embrace as they both came crashing on the floor. She landed on top of him, hard, her body clashing against his, crushing his straining erection. 

He yelped out in pain, cursing an agonizing _fuck_ into the otherwise silent room. He pushed his palms against her shoulders and she immediately rolled off him.

"Are you okay?" she rasped worriedly, suddenly realizing that his painful cursing wasn't the result of his shoulder hitting the side of the lounge chair when his hand flew over his manhood. 

"Fuck, fuck, fuckety fuck!" 

His swearing echoed through the bedroom, and he flicked his eyes upwards in a desperate attempt to ignore the excruciating pain in his groin. His cock was throbbing, blood coursing erratically through his veins, still standing achingly erect and demanding instant release. Curling his fingers around himself in an attempt to still the pulsing feeling, the volatile twitching just increased, pain surging through him from base to tip. The thought of jerking off immediately promised a possible relief of pain, or at least to alleviate the strain his current state of arousal was putting on him.

"I gotta..." he stopped mid-sentence and sat up, wincing in pain.

"Can I help?"

His eyes found hers, and silently pleading, he shook his head at her, hoping she'd understand that he didn't want her to touch him in this state. 

"No. Just let me..."

He never finished the sentence. Instead, rising to his feet, he hurried into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. Leaning against the closed door, he drew in a sharp breath as he quickly rolled off the condom and threw it in the direction of the trashcan, missing it by a couple inches and not caring at all. He wrapped his hand around his dick and started pumping. Eyes closed, his thoughts darted to Veronica and how she looked so adorably sexy with those flushed cheeks and slumberous eyes when he pushed into her. Imagining her moans, the hitch of her breath as they moved in sync together, he increased the pace, desperate to reach a steady rhythm that would eventually help him reach a release.

But the angle wasn't right and his grip too tight, too hard, and not comfortable enough as he caressed his hand up and down his cock. He needed a straight angle, and a cushioning surrounding with the right amount of friction if he wanted to get any kind of release fast. Anything he did right now just worsened the pain instead of finding the relief he so desperately craved. He was way past the point of thinking unsexy thoughts and splashing ice cold water over his body to cool off. Somehow, he was stuck in an unbelievably painful state of arousal that he could neither satisfy on his own, nor turn off in any other way. Liking it or not, he knew he needed Veronica's help. 

He cursed under his breath before he reached for the door knob and opened the door. When he stepped into the room, he found her sitting on her bed, blanket wrapped tightly around her otherwise naked body. She turned to him, flashing him an adorably cute smile that immediately changed into a look of worry when she noticed the painful expression on his face and his hands still covering his groin like a little shy boy.

"I could use some help," he mumbled, embarrassment and awkwardness more than evident in his voice as he blushed furiously.

"What do you need me to do?"

It felt so wrong just thinking about it but he needed hard and fast, preferably from behind so that he could keep the straight angle he needed and maintain control. They had never tried this position and he would have liked to work up to it but the agonizing pain in his groin needed to be dealt with, and if his hand didn't work on getting him off, a cold shower wouldn't either.

"Fuck. Fast and hard."  _ God, did he really just ask that out loud?! _

She blinked at him, obviously surprised by the direct response he'd given her. She bit down on her lip awkwardly and he immediately knew he shouldn't have asked her. 

"I’m sorry. Forget it. I shouldn't have asked."

He started to turn back towards the bathroom, contemplating that maybe he should give that cold shower at least a try, but her voice stopped him.

"What do you need me to do, Logan?" she asked him again with such a tenderness in her voice it almost arrested him. Her eyes were fixed on him, letting him know that whatever it was he needed, she would at least try. Her willingness just made his heart grow three times larger. 

"I need… a specific angle," he stumbled over his words nervously. He, who at fifteen already thought of himself as a pro when it came to sex, was having trouble voicing what he wanted from her. Awkwardly, he bit down on his lower lip and finally mumbled what exactly it was he was asking. “Doggy-style.”

He saw her hesitate for only a moment, then she reached over, pulled out a condom and threw it his way. Instinctively, he lifted a hand, catching the wrapper mid-air.

“Where do you want me?” she asked.

“Off the bed,” he whispered as he closed his fingers around the small package in his hand. “It’ll be… easier.”

Looking at him questioningly, she scooted off the bed and kneeled on the floor, unsure what exactly he was expecting from her. He was next to her only a second later, and their eyes locked for a moment before he gently placed a hand on her hip, and guided her to turn around. She obliged willingly, and with her back turned towards him, she bent forward, bracing herself on her bed. With nimble fingers, he ripped open the wrapper and suited up carefully. Then, he silently positioned himself behind her, hands grasping her hips and pulling her towards him, his throbbing erection poised right at her entrance. Fingers curled around himself, he ran his tip over her folds, finding her still wet and inviting, before he pushed into her. He noticed her head fall onto the bed and her hands grip the sheets tightly. A muffled groan escaped her as he thrust into her completely, burying himself inside her.

The relief was small, but almost instant when he felt his cock surrounded by her slickness and warmth. Pulling back just a fraction, the pain was bearable, somehow exhilarating even, so he started moving, in and out. Rather slow-paced for the first few strokes, but when he heard her moan each time he pulled back and her breath hitching when he thrust back in, he quickened the rhythm, both in an attempt to finally alleviate the throbbing pain and to pleasure her still with everything he could offer. He slammed into her, faster and faster, bringing himself closer to the brink, relief beckoning at his call. Thighs slapping against thighs, fingers digging into her flesh as he gripped her hips firmly, he felt her whole body quiver. One hard, final thrust, and with a deep, guttural groan, he climaxed in a shuddering release.

He collapsed on top of her, resting his head against her back, arms wrapped tightly around her, feeling her ragged breathing as her chest rapidly rose up and down. The throbbing pain in his groin finally lessened, and he felt his dick slowly relax, still cushioned by her warmth. He'd done it. The one thing he'd never wanted to do. He had thrown himself over the edge first, satisfying his own needs without taking care of hers. He pulled out of her, waited for a moment, trying to spot any kind of reaction from her, but all he heard was her still uneven breathing. Her face remained buried against the mattress as she sat down on her haunches as well. It took a second until she leaned back, scooting closer when she realized he wasn't positioned directly behind her anymore. She settled her body against him, and searching for his hand blindly, linked her fingers with his when she found it. She brought his arm around her body, and he securely wrapped her in a tender embrace, cradling her against him. 

"Better?" she asked, tipping her head back ever so slightly and resting it against his shoulder.

He just nodded silently and tightened his hold on her, desperately seeking her comfort. He'd never felt so awkward and so regretful, yet so appreciative, after having sex than he felt right now. Something just didn't feel right. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he nuzzled her hair, inhaling the scent of her shampoo which always reminded him of that short moment after a summer rainshower when the air tingled with humidity and permeated that smell that was such an uncanny mix of rain, earth, tranquility and peace all combined into one. 

"What for?"

She gently skimmed a hand over his arm, obviously sensing his tension. 

"For that.” 

"You can get creative with me any time.”

“Yeah, except getting creative doesn't equal mounting you like a humping rabbit."

“Logan Echolls, you're blushing!” 

She turned around in his embrace, bracketing his thigh with her knees as she shifted, giving him an amused grin as she leisurely trailed a finger down his chest, drawing little erratic patterns along the way.

“Am not!” he replied defensively, in an attempt to ignore the rising heat in his cheeks and well aware that he was, indeed, turning a light shade of red.

“Yes, you are! But you know what, you humping rabbit of mine? It was awesome," she smiled.

A weak grin tugged at the corner of his mouth in response, "Awesome?"

"Awesome," she muttered, drawing out the first syllable in a long, dramatic fashion as she tipped her head back. "No regrets. Except maybe next time we do this, you better make sure I'm actually tagging along and you're not rushing off on your own," she winked.

She brushed her mouth against the corner of his gently and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a kiss. His lips lingered against hers, just relishing in the moment, and a disapproving groan escaped her when he finally pulled back from her.

"Hold on to that thought."

He rose swiftly, grabbed his boxers from the floor and disappeared into the bathroom again to clean up. Slipping off the condom, he dropped it into the trashcan along with the first one he'd thrown on the floor, then cleaned himself quickly before he put on his boxers. The pain in his groin had reached an acceptable level by now, scarcely perceptible if he didn't pay any attention to it. Just like a regular hit in the nuts, he was sure it eventually would subside completely within the next hour or two.

For a moment, he studied himself in the mirror, the dim light casting an eerie glow around his face. How exactly had this night turned from gentle, tender, romantic love making to hard, uninhibited fucking within the matter of minutes? To her, it wasn't a big deal, not worth a mention even.  _ And god, do I love her for that,  _ he thought. It was just what it was. Much needed bodily relief. While to him, it was so much more. He'd crossed a line, a line he'd set for their relationship without telling her, a line that he wanted and needed, and she never even knew existed. With most of the girls he'd ever been with, he’d never asked or waited for permission, he’d just taken charge. Quick and primal, climbing higher than before, falling down deeper. Thrusting harder, faster, racing to the finish line without really taking the time to either appreciate the journey or the after. It was just the way Lilly had taught him how this was supposed to be played. A guy always takes control. Takes what he wants when he wants. And he'd played it like that ever since - until his encounters with Veronica had taught him that it was not okay to just go and do it, that permission for anything that was about to happen was essential because otherwise, he wouldn’t be better than those that had done her so wrong. She had somehow shown him that the journey together was the ultimate goal, without ever trying to, and that the after is never to be missed. Veronica was gentleness, romance, tenderness… love to him, something that needed to be cherished and left untainted. 

When he returned to the bedroom, she lay on the bed on her stomach, blanket lazily draped over her naked body. Silently, he settled on the floor next to her and rested his back against the mattress. Her hand found its way into his tousled hair and she smoothed out a few strands that were sticking up erratically in several different directions.

"I can now scratch awkward sex accident with my boyfriend off my bucket list."

"I'd rather have cashed in on joining the mile high club instead."

"Why am I not surprised that even made your bucket list?"

"A boy’s gotta have some aspirations in life."

She placed her chin on his shoulder and lazily trailed her hand down his chest, stopping just above his heart as she splayed her fingers across his skin.

"What was all that about earlier?"

He remained silent as he placed his hand on top of hers, linking fingers instantly. Breathing in heavily, he squeezed her hand and held it close against his chest, offering her to feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her warm touch. 

“I didn’t want you to feel like I was taking advantage of you.”

“I could have said no, and I most definitely would have if I hadn’t been okay with any of it.”

"Doesn’t make it any better either way.”

“Then just see it as a charity fuck to help a guy in desperate need.”

“That’s just it. You and me, we don't just fuck."

"And what would you call it what we just did?"

"Call me a sap, a mush, a pussy, whatever. There's a reason people call it making love. You give me that adrenaline rush when you smile at me, laugh with me, tell me a dirty joke. When you look at me and think I don't notice. When you turn away because you don't want me to see just how vulnerable you can be." He gently tapped her hand against his chest right above his heart. "I feel all that right here. And it intensifies by a quadrillion when you touch and kiss me. So no, we don’t just fuck. We make love. That’s what we do."

In more than one way, even foreplay with Veronica was more magnanimous and gratifying than some, if not most of the sex he'd had before her. With her, it wasn't just about the thrill and the adrenaline rush that came with actual intercourse. With her, it was about feeling, about touching, about opening himself and giving her his mind and soul. With the first touch, she'd crack him wide open, and he was more than willing to give his true self to her completely. Only to her. He could crawl into her, lose himself in her without the need of actually screwing their brains out. Just feeling her beneath his touch, responding to him with such tenderness, was what he needed from her. She brought him to life in a way he'd never thought existed. With her, everything was different. Even the sex. 

It wasn’t a game any longer of who could reach the pinnacle the fastest, tumble the deepest, endure the longest. It was about giving and taking, about feeling, sensing, perceiving, caring. It was more than just the carnal act of fucking, though when they actually did reach the point of naked, passionate love making, it was more than mind-blowing. The exhilarating sensations that ran through his body were unmatched, he couldn't put them into words. It felt that at that very moment, when they reached the crest together and stumbled over the brink, the world around them ceased to exist and for that split moment, it was just them, tangled in a world so far from reality.

"Logan…"

"I know you don't say the l-word. That's okay. You don't need to. Cause I can feel and see it in the way you respond to me every time we get close. That's kinda what made this all so wrong, in my mind. It all was way too fast, way too hard, and I didn’t take care of your needs, just mine. It's the way I always did it when I just needed a fuck, when it didn't really mean anything to me… because it was easy. But I need it to mean everything with you. Because you mean everything to me."

She shifted her head slightly, burying her face against his neck and brushed her lips against him in a feathery kiss.

"What, no quip?"

"If I say the l-word, do I get to have a quickie with you now and then? Cause, you know, making out, having sex, as nice as it is, it takes up quite a lot of my free time. And with college starting in a few weeks… you get the idea."

A snort escaped him, and he picked up her hand to place a kiss against her palm, grateful that she wasn’t going into a deeper conversation about what he had just told her. She wasn’t ignoring his feelings, he knew that, but he also knew that as hard as it had been for him to tell her  _ I love you _ in so many different words, it was double as hard for her to voice her own emotions out loud. Dodging the subject with her charming quips wasn't as favorable as her actually telling him, but he'd take it over nothing anytime. Tonight, he was just going to indulge in the knowledge that he hadn’t crossed an unspoken boundary, but rather in the fact that her actions had actually screamed  _ I love you _ a million times more than any words she could ever say. 

He turned around and, placing his forearm on the mattress, rested his chin on top just a couple of inches from where her head lay cushioned against a bright yellow pillow.

“Haven’t you checked your college schedule yet?" he murmured with a satisfied grin on his face, and dapped her nose gently before his finger slipped down seductively, trailed over her mouth and started to toy with her bottom lip. "Making out, having sex - that’s on Tuesday and Friday nights after the mandatory 7pm _ dinner with the boyfriend _ class.”

“Scheduled sex, and only on Tuesdays and Fridays? You mean I can't just jump you whenever I feel like it?" she huffed exasperatedly, giving him her best dramatic undertone. "The college experience hasn’t even officially started and, man, it sucks already."

"You could always talk to your advisor and ask about doing a double major. I'm pretty sure that would add at least a Monday and Wednesday  _ lunch with the boyfriend  _ to your schedule."

"I wonder if there is a double major that actually involves  _ dinner  _ and _ breakfast with the boyfriend _ classes instead."

"The lunch class isn't mandatory, it's just a recommendation on the lesson plan. I'm pretty sure it can be switched for the breakfast class if need be."

"There's definitely need."

He just chuckled and tenderly ran his knuckles along her jawline, then cupped her face and brushed his thumb gently over her lips. With a sigh, she turned to him, her eyelids fluttering close, and relished in the warmth and comfort his touch was offering.

"Stay the night," she whispered. “I want to wake up with you in the morning.”

Her request didn't come quite unexpected, but still, the tempting invitation to stay reverberated through his mind like when she had asked him to make love the very first time. There wasn't anything he'd love more than to stay the night, hold her in a comforting embrace, and fall asleep knowing that her warm and inviting body would still be at his beckoning touch when he’d wake up in the morning. Brushing a silky strand of her hair away from her cheek, he gave her an answer.

"Sleepovers demand at least a queen-sized bed."

"I guess you will just have to hold on to me really tight so I don't fall off again."

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, "I think I can do that."

He climbed back on the bed, squeezed himself into that narrow space between her and the wall and pulled her into his arms, enveloping her in a warm and inviting embrace as he slipped under the covers with her. She buried her face against his chest, her steady, shallow breathing leaving a tingling sensation. 

"Logan."

His reply was a muffled moan, almost unnoticeable with his face resting against the top of her head, nose nuzzled deeply in her hair.

"Ask me."

"Ask you about what?" he mumbled, his lips tenderly brushing against her forehead as he spoke.

"The l-word," she whispered, while her hand skimmed up and down his spine. "Ask me about the l-word."

He tipped his head back a bit so he could look at her, and found her gazing at him, trust and acknowledgement reflecting back at him. He'd never asked her before, mainly because in his heart, he already knew the answer. But maybe… maybe she was ready, ready to finally say it out loud.

"Do you love me?"

Brushing a strand of hair out of her forehead, he studied her intently, waiting patiently for a reaction. He'd take anything at this moment, even if it was just the way eyes blue like the ocean shone at him, that gleam of love flickering across once in a while. The corners of her mouth curled upwards, and a sweet, affectionate smile lit up her face.

"Yes," she replied, and his heart skipped a beat at finally hearing her say it. "Yes, I do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was brought to you by the Promptober prompt "broken stick". 
> 
> When I originally had the idea for this, the prompts hadn't been revealed, but it just felt fitting to keep this one back for that one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aurora2020, a simple thank you doesn't really cover it for all the beta work you've done on this story! You rock!

She woke to the sunlight creeping in through her windows, tingling her nose and enticing that sweet, fuzzy feeling that trickled through her body announcing a sneeze that never actually came. It took her a moment to notice the warm, shallow breathing against her neck and the hand that had slipped under her tank and was resting on her stomach. Carefully, she turned on her back, trying not to disturb the sleeping form next to her. He sighed deeply in his sleep, nuzzled his nose deeper into her hair, his hand slipping further up her body and coming to rest right below her breast. For a while, she just observed him, nestled tightly against her while she lazily trailed a finger up and down his arm.

She took in his features, so relaxed when he slept, all the weight lifted from his shoulders. He looked like that boy she remembered from a long time ago, before all that shit hit the fan. She could get used to this, the intimacy that came with waking up next to him in the morning. The first thing she sees as her eyes flutter open, his arms draped protectively around her, his body offering comfort and security.

"It's really creepy when you watch me like that," he mumbled sleepily and slowly cracked open an eye to look at her.

"That's my job. Stealthily observing people," she replied, a tinge of amusement playing in her voice.

"You're not very good at it."

"I'm a PI in training." Carefully, she leaned in to place a tender kiss against his lips. "Good morning."

"A very good morning indeed," he murmured as he stole another quick kiss before resting his forehead against hers.

"What's on your agenda for today?"

"Let me check my schedule."

She made a mock attempt to move out of his embrace, but he decisively pulled her back towards him, eliciting a playful chuckle from her.

"Whatever's on your schedule, it’s not important."

"Define important."

"This is important."

He claimed her lips again, the kiss sweet and tender, a slow, but welcoming start into the day. Their bodies molded together perfectly, arms tightly wrapped around each other, creating their own private cocoon. Their kiss lingered, tongues softly gliding over lips, teeth nibbling gently, until he broke away with a deep sigh. Brushing a kiss on the tip of her nose, Logan rested his forehead against hers, silence filling the room as they lay tangled in each other, savoring the tranquility the early morning had brought about, relishing that in that very moment, there was nothing but them in the world. 

"I was wrong,” he finally broke the silence, trailing his fingers up and down her arm, his eyes following the elaborate pattern he drew on her skin before they wandered up. He met her waiting gaze, her expression a mix of amusement and wonder. She’d tucked her bottom lip between her teeth, and there was this certain glint in her eyes that always lit up her face. 

"Wow, Logan Echolls admits he's wrong. Has Hell frozen over?"

He snorted, tightening the embrace, pulling her flush against his body as his hand came to rest against the small of her back.

"Cuddling can be pretty satisfying."

"It's a pretty stellar ego boost if you tell the girl you just spent the night with that cuddling with her is just as satisfying as having sex with her," she chuckled.

"Not what I said." He brushed a lock of hair out of her forehead, tucking the wayward strand behind her ear. "Nothing can top breathtaking, earth-shattering sex with my hot-as-hell girlfriend."

Her lips curled into a sheepish grin, "Try harder, loverboy."

"Harder like this?"

He hooked his foot behind her calf and thrust his hips forward, grinding against her. There was no mistaking just how much her presence was affecting him, tucked in so comfortably against his body.

"Careful, someone might think you're suggesting a round of early morning sex," she winked at him seductively as she rolled her hips against him in response, enticing a low, guttural groan from him. 

"I still owe you an orgasm."

Her brows arched suspiciously, "We're keeping count now?"

"I live to please and serve."

"You're way in the lead. That is, if we were actually counting. Which we’re not."

Without warning, he grasped her wrists and flipped her on her back as he swiftly climbed on top of her. A shrewd grin played at the corners of his mouth as he slowly lowered his face towards hers.

A gasp of startled surprise caught in her throat, “What are you doing?” 

"Quid pro quo," he murmured huskily.

The look in his eyes was as hungry as his tone implied, and her pulse leapt with excitement. He drew a line down her throat and along the slope of her shoulder. His eyes lowered slumberously, his head dropping the last inch toward her, lips parted for a taste of her delicate skin. Heart pounding in anticipation, Veronica gripped the edge of the mattress, moaning at the first glide of his lips along her neck applying butterfly kisses. A shiver trickled down her spine, and she all but melted at the light suction of his mouth as he savored the taste of her skin.

Sliding her hand to the back of his neck, she guided his mouth. He took his time, lavishing attention on her neck, down her shoulder, until his head disappeared under the covers. She felt his hands pushing her tank up as they travelled north languidly. His mouth followed suit, lips skimming softly over the slope of her breast. He found her nipple and tugged on the crest with his teeth, bit gently, then opening his mouth wide suckled her deeply. She whimpered as pure, jolting pleasure enveloped her. His tongue swirled and laved, as she arched off the mattress, asking, demanding more of the gratifying attention his mouth offered. 

Her hands slipped over his shoulders and took the duvet with them, exposing him to her view as he pleasured her with his mouth. Hot, wet kisses trailed to her other breast where he feasted just as greedily on the plump flesh, elevating her to a breathless, sensual daze. His fingers trailed along her abdomen as he lazily sketched patterns resembling a heart around her navel, his mouth following the lines he drew. while his tongue elicited sensuous moans from her. Her fingers tightened in his hair, needing something to hold on to. She felt wild. Out of control. Unable to help herself, she spread her legs, writhing against him, increasing the pressure building deep inside her.

Only for a second, his hands and mouth left her, resulting in a dissatisfied groan from her. His hand reappeared on her inner thigh, the tips of his fingers gliding along her skin with long, sensual strokes that made her quiver. As he looked up at her with a self-indulgent grin across his lips, his fingers hooked behind the elastic of her panties and very determinedly pulled them over her hips and down her legs as he slid towards the foot of the bed.

Slipping a hand beneath her knee, he softly brushed his thumb over the delicate skin followed by his lips, tongue, and teeth as he treated her to random nibbles up her thigh. His nips grew indulgent as his mouth inched closer and closer to her center.

And then, finally reaching his object of desire, his fingers caressing her folds, his breath hot and illicit. Shock and excitement warred within her as she gasped and dug her fingernails into his skin, grazing along the back of his neck. Somehow, he had wedged his shoulders between her thighs to keep them spread, one of her legs carefully draped over his shoulder, giving him a more comfortable position as he made do with the narrow space laying half-on, half-off the mattress. He listened intently to her heavy breathing, the high-pitched shift in tone as he dipped in one finger, then another, sliding them in and out in a delicately slow manner.

Relaxing her fierce grip on his hair, she let her hand rest at the nape of his neck, silently offering her surrender. With his hands still splayed to keep her open for him, he lowered his head and nuzzled the silky flesh of her inner thigh, starting his exploration with soft, generous, damp kisses designed to make her melt. With a shuddering sigh, the tension and apprehension drained from her body, replaced by a decadent languor - until he became impatient and greedily pressed his open mouth against her core. In one purposeful, scorching stroke, he glided his tongue upward.

She inhaled sharply, and before she could recover from that electrifying sensation, he withdrew his fingers and took her intimately, deeply. Slow, deliberate laps of his tongue, combined with hot, suctioning swirls elevated her to that acute edge of desire.

Her fingers dug into his shoulders, and he knew she was close, needing support, nearing the fall. Her body trembled under him as his hands grasped her hips, rocking her, meeting her thrusts against his mouth so he could dip his tongue in deeper, suck harder, encouraging her to just let go. A soft, ragged cry emanated through the room and a wave of voluptuous contractions rushed through her entire body as her climax hit. He groaned deep in his throat when he felt her convulse, bucking against him, demanding from him to continue his ministrations, drawing out that indescribable high she had reached for as long as he could.

Before she had a chance to recover her breath or bearings from that incredible experience, he climbed back on the bed completely, squeezing into that narrow space between her and the wall, enveloping her in a warm and loving embrace. She only just realized Logan now next to her before he tangled his hand into her hair and nudged her gaze to meet his.

His eyes were dark, his lips damp from the intimate assault on her. Greedily, he licked his lips, drawing in the last remains of her climax before drawing her mouth to his. She moaned at the eroticism of his gesture, the kiss he was giving her so soulful and pressed herself closer to his body while meeting his pace, tongues steadily dancing to the silent beat.

A soft growl of protest echoed through the tranquility of the early morning when she lifted her lips from his. He tightened his arms around her, unwilling to let go just yet, but his apprehensions immediately vanished when she moved her mouth along his jaw, towards his ear, gently nibbling his earlobe.

"Can we stay like this forever?"

She pulled the sheets above their heads, cocooning them in a world far from reality, even if it was just for that very short moment. They’d finally gotten a break from all the shit that had been happening for the last few years and for once, hiding here under the covers, she could pretend that this was a fresh start that could actually last. 

“In bed together having unbelievably satisfying sex? It’s a very tempting offer,” he breathed as her lips traveled back along his jawline, feathering over the short, tingly stubble before covering his mouth in a fervent, demanding kiss. 

“We should definitely have more sleepovers.” 

With an agreeable sigh, he trailed his fingers down her cheek, a comforting smile spread wide on his face, before he brought his hand up to his ear like a mock phone. "Is this the front desk at The Grand? I am moving out as I've found the perfect little hiding place for me and my girlfriend. I’d like to give you my new forwarding address. Blanket fort at apartment 110, Sunset Cliffs Apartments. Send my last bill to that address. Thank you, and it was a pleasant stay with you."

She rolled her eyes at him, and chuckled as she nuzzled her nose against his, "Cramped quarters is more like it."

"I told you sleepovers demand a queen-sized bed at least. Much more wriggle room for certain activities."

His hand slipped over the curve of her hips, caressing her back under her tank. 

"I don't think we'll get the deposit back if we move out of the blanket fort after five minutes already."

"Screw the deposit. My lady's ease and comfort is more important."

"You're so very generous."

He wriggled a brow at her, "I'd buy you a bigger bed."

"My bed is absolutely comfy, thank you very much."

She burrowed her body into the mattress, squirming in his embrace to underscore her statement.

"But it's tiny."

"It's cozy."

"It’s pint-sized."

"I'm pint-sized."

"You're adorably pint-sized," he smiled and kissed the top of her nose, "and charming. Smart. Sassy. Headstrong. Incredibly sexy.” 

Between each word, peppering her face with kisses before claiming her lips again. In response, she tickled him in that spot she knew he loved. 

"Most definitely very headstrong," he laughed as he curled his fingers around her wrist and pulled her hand up to rest against his chest.

"I prefer to call it determined."

"Always chomping at the bit."

"Hey, I was born ready."

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the unvarnished truth."

His lips found hers again in a mellow kiss, belying the need for more intimate physical contact. Her tongue swept over his bottom lip as her leg hooked over his thigh, and he found himself tangled in the sheets, flat on his back a moment later with her straddling his lap. 

The look she gave him was so full of want and need, of admiration, and of love as she gazed down at him. The slightest smile played across her lips while she braced his face with her palms. Thumbs brushed against the corners of his mouth affectionately as she lowered herself to him. Their lips met, tongues continuing the slow waltz that soon turned into a sensual rumba. She rocked her hips against him to the silent beat, accenting the demanding rhythm she set with her mouth. 

The shrill ringing of the phone gravely brought them back to reality. 

“Don’t get it,” he groaned, then brushed his mouth over the side of her neck. He wrapped his arms around her torso, fingers resting against her shoulder blades and tenderly caressing her. Lips met warm skin, and he felt her pulse beat softly against his tongue as it swept back and forth gently. 

A deep sigh emanated through the room as she tilted her head back, granting him better access, the phone all but forgotten. Her even breathing turned into a slightly irritated huff when her eyes fell on the alarm clock. 7:47am. There’d be only one person in the world calling her at that ungodly hour. 

"My dad!” She jerked the duvet back in a panic and crawled off him, legs dangling over the edge of the mattress before he could even comprehend what was happening. “I forgot to check in with him last night!"

"Tell him you were busy," he proclaimed, reaching out to pull her back into his embrace but she gracefully wriggled out of his touch and climbed out of bed. 

"He'll be absolutely thrilled if I tell him I was busy getting naked with my boyfriend."

She tugged down her tank in an attempt to cover at least a little of her bare nether regions, then held a finger against her lips, signalling him to be silent as she picked up the phone and answered the call.

"Mars Residence," she said super-sweetly. "Hey dad. - No, I got home late from a busy day at work and simply forgot. - I was sleeping. In my bed. At home. - Sure, I was in my bed all alone. Wait. Oh no! Someone's been sleeping in my bed and he's still there! Look, it's Mister Fluffy Buns!"

She noticed Logan mouth _Mister Fluffy Buns?_ with an adorable look of bewilderment on his face and had a hard time concentrating on what her father was saying at the other end of the line.

"Sure, I'll stop by the office later, pick up the mail, check the machine. I'm a very responsible, underpaid assistant. On second thought, I'm not underpaid, I'm not getting paid at all because I’m no longer the assistant! Mmmh. - See you tonight. Bye, dad."

She finished the call, placed the phone back on her desk, then sauntered towards her bed. 

"Your dad give you grief about not calling?" Logan asked and lifted up the covers for her to slip back in.

"Who'd've thought that sleeping isn't an acceptable excuse anymore for not calling," she grumbled and snuggled back into his waiting arms, settling in to be his little spoon. 

"Maybe it isn't when you're sleeping with me?"

"Don't _ever_ mention that in front of my dad."

"No worries, I'm very attached to my unharmed bodily constitution."

"You better."

He brushed a few stray locks of hair away, exposing just a smidge of bare skin, and feathered his lips over her shoulder in a tiny kiss.

"Who's this ominous Mister Fluffy Buns?"

"I was wondering when you'd ask. Meet Mister Fluffy Buns!" she snickered, and pointed up at the stuffed toy bunny that sat on the shelf above her stereo.

"For a moment I was seriously afraid you could be referring to me," he muttered in mock outrage, "cause I sure ain't a Mister _Fluffy_ Buns. I'm more of a Mister _Hot_ Buns."

Reaching behind her, she slapped her hand on his butt and gave it a tight squeeze.

"Firm. Muscular. I could be persuaded to call this a hot bun."

"You should see me in neoprene."

"Bootylicious comes to mind."

"Naughty, naughty."

He skimmed his hand over her hip, down her bare thigh and back up again, just to trail down the same path again. His fingers tenderly brushed over her skin as he memorized the path they'd traveled, inch by inch, intent on repeating the journey for as long as she was content and indulgent. 

"So Mister Fluffy Buns is allowed to share a bed with you?" he pouted playfully, his breath leaving a pleasantly tingly sensation on her bare shoulder as he spoke. "I thought your dad had a strict no bed sharing policy."

Arching her eyebrows, she turned her head and leaned back just a fraction to glance at him.

"Are you jealous?" 

"Of Mister Fluffy Buns?" he snorted, "Hardly. But how long have you been secretly hooking up with that rabbit anyway?"

"Since I was four…"

"Okay, that _is_ serious competition."

"...and fell off the teeter-totter on the playground."

"Ouch."

His lips travelled over her jawline, eliciting a slight giggle from her at the tickling his warm breath left on her skin, as his hand slipped over her knee, continuing its lazy journey up and down the inside of her thigh.

"Definitely ouch. I had to spend the night in the hospital because I had a pretty nasty bruise on the back of my head and they wanted to keep an eye on me. Dad got me the bunny to keep me company."

"And you called him Mister Fluffy Buns?"

She settled comfortably in her pillow, snuggling back against him, her butt deliberately pressed tightly against his hard-on.

"Look at him, he's so fluffy!" she mused as she looked up at the stuffed bunny again.

"I was hung up on the buns," he muttered as he placed his chin on her shoulder and pecked her cheek.

"You're incorrigible."

"Thank you, and you're welcome." 

Fingers gingerly glided over the delicate skin of inner thigh again, finally reaching their object of desire as they slipped towards her center. Hand splayed wide, he brushed over her folds, slowly, deliberately, back and forth, his heel applying just the right amount of pressure at exactly the right places. 

"Maybe Mister Hot Buns can show you a good morning?"

"Mister Hot Buns already did show me a very good morning," she replied, and a surprised gasp escaped her when his thumb found her bud, brushing over it in short, rapid flicks. 

"That was just the appetizer."

His raspy voice barely a whisper, he bucked his hips against her, matching the rhythm his fingers were teasing her. Holding her body tight against him, he controlled their movement, keeping them in sync as he rocked them in a silent beat, smooth and mellow, almost lazy. 

“Dry humping is the main course?” she complained as she reached behind her. She found the waistband of his boxers, and a finger hooked under the elastic, pulling at it before she let it snap against his hip. "Lose 'em and saddle up, cowboy."

His fingers continued their journey, playing and teasing as he rocked them in unison and let out a snort, "Yeehah."

"Shroud your spout. Sheathe your sword. Package your meat. Rubber your ducky."

"Oh my God, enough with the bad euphemisms!" he laughed out loud. "Nobody says that!"

"Not according to Cosmo, they do."

"Don't _ever_ tell me to rubber my ducky again."

He kissed her shoulder and rolled on his back to quickly shed his boxers. Propping himself up on his elbow, he reached up to the shelf above them, fingers searching and finding the small, tin foil package immediately. Suiting up was finished quickly, and he settled back in behind her. Eyes fell on her completely naked body, the tank discarded in a frenzy, as she licked her lips in anticipation.

"Come here," he coaxed, waggling a finger at her and bobbing his eyebrow.

"We're definitely past the cuddling stage," she grumbled, but willingly settled back into his arms, flush against his body, skin against skin.

"I'm just getting creative with you," he smirked as his mouth descended on her neck in a gentle kiss. 

After last night, ‘ _can I’_ , ‘ _would you’_ and ‘ _why don’t we’_ were no longer needed. Exploring each other and whatever came with it didn't need any verbal agreement anymore. Body language could say so much more than words ever could, and if there was one person in the world he could read better than himself, it was Veronica. If he was crossing into something she didn't want, there was no doubt in his mind anymore that he would be able to tell. 

The old Veronica, she may have been a delicate flower. Yellow cotton and innocent angel face. The sweet girl everyone played with nicey-nice and handled with kid gloves. This Veronica - she wasn’t that delicate flower anymore. Adventurous and spirited. Vivacious and feisty. Affectionate and devoted. She was pure satin and lace. She'd grown so much from that girl he'd meet all those years ago. She was everything he thought she deserved to be and then so much more. 

His fingers drummed against her skin as he trailed over her ass and slipped between her legs from behind. There was an audible sigh when he teased her entrance, his fingers fondling her affectionately as he primed her for him. 

She groaned in disapproval when his ministrations stopped, and tipped her head back to meet his gaze. She found him glancing at her with a wicked grin on his face, that soon was replaced with a look of longing and lust. Lowering his head, he claimed her lips in a feverish kiss as he gently nudged her legs apart with his knee.

Curling his hand around himself tightly, he positioned his cock at her center. Slowly, but decisively, he pushed into her, inch after inch, until he filled her completely. Their rhythm started slow-paced, tongues dancing to the same gentle beat that his hips rocked against her. In. And out. 

An indulgent sigh escaped her as all tension drained from her, her body relaxing against him and giving in to all the electrifying sensations that ran through her as they melded into one. There was something so intimate, so profound and sincere about the way they lay spooned together, no telling where one began and the other ended.

Her eyelids dropped, and she drew in her breaths deeper, quicker, exhaling with just the faintest moan on her lips. Bucking her hips against him, she demanded a faster rhythm as their bodies silently swayed in sync. With a growl, he thrust into her completely, then stilled. His lips pressed tightly against the nape of her neck, he nibbled her skin, grazing his teeth over her soft flesh until he came to rest at the slope of her shoulder. 

“Let me drive,” he mumbled, his fingers caressing her tenderly as they traveled towards her center. His thumb found her clit, and he flicked over it as he pulled back out of her almost completely. Another flick, and he thrust back into her, encouraging a deep, sensual groan from her. 

His fingers worked her in the same delicate manner that he pushed into her. Slow, tender pushes and caresses alternating with fast, accented thrust and flicks. Low, labored breaths mixed with sensuous moans, her body writhing against his as if trying to burrow deeper into his touch and the sensations he was eliciting within her. 

"Logan..." her voice was raspy and hoarse, and she bit down on her lip, desperately trying to keep her quaking body at bay. She was teetering at the edge of a cliff, dangerously close to the fall, as he continued pushing into her methodically. She could feel he wasn't quite there yet to experience this building climax together with her.

"Let go," he whispered into her ear, but she stubbornly shook her head.

He slightly increased the pressure on her bud, his thumb flicking it nimbly as he continued rocking against her. 

"Don't hold back."

"We come together," she rasped and frustratedly bit down on his arm, earning her a deep growl from him.

"The next one is ours. This one's yours."

His fingers left her to curl around her knee, lifting her leg just enough to wedge his in-between hers. Shifting the angle just a smidge, her leg draped carefully over his, he continued thrusting into her, harder this time, faster, and she felt the quivers turn into trembles as incredible waves of emotions flooded her. Her walls clenching around his dick tightly, the tantalizing friction of his movements elevating her to an inexpressible state of ecstasy as her climax hit. She tumbled over the edge, repeating his name again and again.

He rode it out with her, grinding his hips against her, fondling her, caressing her, until her body relaxed under his touch, and her breathing slowed and evened.

"The first one is always yours and yours only. You should know that by now."

Too frazzled to tell him that she'd already experienced the first high of the day with his mouth and tongue working magic on her, she just grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him in for a feverish kiss. Legs and arms tangled, bodies moved, their lips locked as he maneuvered her skillfully on her back. Her fingers drummed across his spine, and he heard her humming contentedly. Chuckling, he broke away from her, pulling himself up, his palms resting flat against the pillow on either side of her face. 

“Green Day? Really?”

“Shut up and finish what you started,” she rebuked, swatting his arm lightly. 

He simply answered her with a cocky grin, and guided himself towards her entrance, rocking against her, teasing her mercilessly as he ran his tip over her folds. A wicked, indulgent smile spread across her face as she hooked her legs over his thighs - it was all the invitation he needed, and he thrust into her completely in one swift move. 

Slow and tender was quickly abandoned, the pacing fast and accented as he buried himself into her. Bare skin connecting with bare skin, her moans alternating with almost breathless gasps, while his hips rolled against her in a frenzied rhythm. She matched his impatient, almost desperate pace as she bucked her hips against him. Fierce, hurried, the complete opposite of the lazy, tender coupling they'd experienced only minutes before. They were accelerating quickly, pushing themselves to the crest. 

Too fast, too soon. 

He slowed, his hands sprawled across her stomach, silently asking to shift back gears. If they continued this frantic and feral pacing, he would come undone without her reaching the pinnacle with him. His eyes shone down at her, asking, almost begging to slow, allowing herself the time to catch up with him. 

There was a ferocious thrust of hips against him, legs moving, ankles locking behind his ass, before her whole demeanor changed, tautness replaced with a satisfied indulgence, and she settled in a slower rhythm with him. 

Intent on helping her catch up with him, his lips found her breast to suckle her deeply, enticing the most beautiful noises from her that he loved hearing so much. The slightest whimper, the shift in tone as it transformed into a voluptuous moan, just to grow into a long, sultry sigh. Every sucking, every nibbling, every flicking was answered with another joyful sound. 

Her eyelids dropped, head dipped back into the pillows, and she arched her body deeper into his touch. Hands roamed his back freely, until they found their way up his neck and tangled in his hair. She held him close to her body, encouraging him to continue his intimate fondling as his mouth hungrily claimed her other breast, mirroring the affection he had showered its twin with.

Short, poignant thrusts resumed their silent dancing, met with equally determined flicks of his tongue across her hardened nipple. He could feel her heartbeat quicken beneath his touch, her breathing turning ragged and coarse. The faintest gasp lingered in the air, turning louder, more ecstatic with every thrust, telling him she was teetering on the verge. 

Over the last few weeks, they had become so acquainted with each other’s bodies, discovering their most sensitive spots and the things that would arouse them most. In certain instances, her subtle, verbal responses to his fondling could push him over the edge faster than any physical reaction she could offer. And this was definitely one of those instances.

The first trembles surged through him, and he stumbled towards the cliff with her as he drove into her, faster and faster. Her heels dug into his ass, arms tightly clutching his torso, as her body started to quiver beneath him. He rocked against her, accelerating them both to the peak, ready to tumble and fall together.

His mouth pressed against her shoulder, drowning out his labored panting, the subtle hiss that escaped him when her fingernails dug into his skin. Quivers turned into full-grown quakes, a soft, drawn-out _fuck_ hanging in the air between them when she finally came. She clenched around him tightly as he continued his short, fast thrusts. A long, shuddering sigh came over his lips when his climax hit only a moment later.

They swayed together as they slowly steadied from a fall so high, so exhilarating. She was sure she could feel his lips curl into a satisfied smile against her skin, which brought an equally contented expression to her face and she tightened her hold on him. She didn't want him to move, savoring the intimacy of their naked bodies melded together as they came down from their climax. They lay in their little cocoon, satisfied and content, for what seemed like an eternity. 

“I gotta unsheathe my sword,” he finally mumbled against her neck, face buried in her hair. 

She just chuckled, "It does indeed sound like some pretty bad romance novel."

"Be right back."

He kissed her before he pushed himself up and off the bed. He gave her a perfectly good view of his naked backside, swinging his hips as he sauntered towards the bathroom. She laughed, her eyes focused on his bare ass as it vanished through the open door. A content huff on her lips, she blew a few tousled strands of hair out of her face, then settled comfortably in her bed. 

"Hey," his head appeared in the doorway again, "mind if I take a quick shower? Something or _someone_ left me a bit sweaty."

"Go ahead. You can use the towel behind the door. It's fresh."

He winked at her, before he vanished again and pulled the door close behind him. A moment later, she heard the water being turned on, and for a split second she wondered if she should have warned him about her temperamental shower. 

She discarded that thought immediately and climbed out of bed instead to grab fresh underwear from her drawer. Just when she was finished clasping her bra, her stomach let out a loud and long growl. Rolling her eyes, she slipped a shirt over her head and turned towards the bathroom door.

"I'm gonna make us some breakfast," she called, hoping he'd hear her over the running water. She waited for a moment, but got no response. Oh well, he'd find her in the kitchen later. 

Making her way down the short hallway, she pulled on a pair of shorts, tying them up just as she rounded the corner into their small kitchenette. The fridge greeted her eerily empty. Three eggs, two slices of bacon. Enough for scrambled eggs for one, but most definitely not enough for two. The bread basket was equally disappointing, holding two lonely and pitiful slices of toast. Logan staying over for the night surely had not been in her plans for the previous night, otherwise she'd have made sure their pantry was better stocked.

"Betty Crocker sure is a girl's best friend," she mused, and picked up the shake n' pour pancake mix that sat on the shelf. 

The batter was prepared quickly, sprinkled with some leftover chocolate chips from her last cookie baking spree. She grabbed her dad's favorite pancake pan with the four smiley face impressions, hoping that would result in a couple of laughs from Logan. Smiling pancake faces always made for a good breakfast. 

She hummed to herself happily, flipping the last batch, when she heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Turning over her shoulder, she noticed Logan trotting towards the kitchen island, clad only in his boxers, his wet hair tousled and sticking up in each and every direction. He glanced around the living room area, obviously looking for something.

"It flew that way," she told him, pointing the spatula in direction of the TV. "My guess, look next to the couch."

He picked up his pants from the floor, then leaned over the side of the sofa to look for the piece of clothing in question. There was a chuckle from the kitchen area when he came up empty-handed. He shifted positions to look under the couch, but again, no shirt in sight. 

“Look what I found instead,” he smirked as he held up his hand and twirled her bra around his finger. 

“I’m sure you’d look pretty sexy in that,” she retorted with a grin and placed the plate with the pancakes on the island. “We’ve got Reddi Wip, Hershey’s chocolate syrup and a couple bananas that most definitely need to be put out of their misery. Dig in.”

He slipped into his jeans as he crossed the short distance towards her. His eyes fixed on the breakfast offerings in front of him, he pulled out the chair and sat down.

“No eggs?” he complained, “Guys need protein post-intercourse.”

“Bacon?” she offered, pushing the plate over to him.

“And have the wrath of Mars bestowed upon me? No, thank you.”

“One slice for me, one slice for you.”

"How very generous of you." He picked up a slice of bacon, nibbled on it, then continued his jesting about her breakfast offerings. "The service at this place definitely sucks."

She tsk'ed him and shrugged, then picked up a pancake which she carefully flipped and draped on his plate. A happy smiley face looked up at him, two round eyes gleefully greeting him good morning. 

A loud snort escaped him, "Smiley pancakes? Really? What are we, five?" he said grinning.

"Thought you might get a kick out of it."

"Look at that adorable little face that you want me to eat. I'll have nightmares about these drolly eyes staring at me forever," he teased her, then continued in his best comical voice, "Please don't eat me. Please, please, please."

Laughing amusedly, she squirted a generous whipped cream mound on his pancake, then dripped a few streams of chocolate syrup on top masking the offending face 

"No more ogly eyes. You're welcome."

"You do know that Alfred Hitchcock thought fake blood did not look bloody enough on film? He used chocolate syrup instead."

"If you do not want your pancakes, I'm happy to take them off your hands," she nattered, her hand reaching for his plate with a smug grin, but he picked it up immediately, and lifted it up high.

"In your dreams. Your plate," he nodded at the plate in front of her, then looked up at the one he held above his head, "my plate. I intend to lick the syrup off if I must."

She dipped her finger into her cream, swiped over the chocolate syrup, then seductively licked the food off with a loud, mmmm sound.

"Welcome to Chez Mars."

Her response was answered with a rambunctious snort, while he placed the plate back down. With a wicked grin, he mimicked her doing, swirled a finger through the pancake toppings and stuck it into his mouth. He slowly popped his lips as he withdrew his finger, followed by a pleased moan as he waggled his eyebrows at her.

“You working tonight?” he asked and finally dug into the pancake, slashing the smiling face in half with his fork.

“No. I can escape the beckoning call of Java the Hut for the first time in ten days, whooza.”

“And deprive me of the privilege of being your ever endearing chauffeur?”

“You can be my ever endearing chauffeur tomorrow night," she responded and stuffed a piece of pancake into her mouth. "Hopefully the Saturn will be ready by Thursday. Then you’re finally off chauffeur duty.”

“What if I don’t want to be off chauffeur duty?”

“Stop by the Hut as usual," she shrugged, "We have great coffee. And brownies. If you ask your server really nicely, bat your lashes and play your charm, she may even heat it up for you."

He dug his fork into his pancake again, playing with the food for a moment before he looked up at her again to see her licking the whipped cream off her fork, a very satisfied and cheerful look on her face.

“If you’re free tonight, join me for dinner?”

Her response was quick, almost too quick for his liking.

“Mmmh, pizza from Cho’s? Pick me up at the office and we can get it on the way.”

“I was more thinking," he muttered, dropping his eyes and jabbing his fork at the poor little smiley, "maybe I could take you out to Catch 35?" He met her very surprised gaze. "Make this a proper date.”

"The fancy new place down at the marina?" she inquired astonished.

"Unless there's another Catch 35 I don't know about, that's the one."

There was a bit of silence between them, before her lips pursed into a warm, affectionate smile.

"I'd love that. Have a proper date, that is."

"So we've got a date tonight?"

"You've got yourself a date tonight."

He chewed on his food, not able to suppress the look of sheer happiness and satisfaction that was spreading across his face. 

"Pick you up at seven?"

"I can make that work."

"A date it is then."

They continued eating in comfortable silence, no words spoken, except for the occasional laugh, chuckle or snort about the other's eating habits. The pancakes were gone in no time, the whipped cream almost empty and the bananas put out of their misery.

"Logan," his head snapped up at the sound of his name, "this was perfect."

"Not that I had a hand in preparing this very delicious breakfast, but you're welcome," he quipped with his usual snark.

"No, I mean this," she waved her hand between them, "last night, this morning. Everything."

He just smiled at her, lovingly and sincerely. He didn't need to say anything in response because really, there was nothing else he could add. This, indeed, had been perfect.


End file.
